During their June 6 meeting, the Gila County Board of Supervisors approved two amendments increasing the contract amounts on projects at Russell Gulch Landfill and the Pleasant Valley Veteran’s Retreat.

One amendment added $7,033.54 to a contract with Michelli Measurement Group for installation of scales at the landfill, and extended the contract to June 15, 2023. The contract was approved on March 21, 2023 for $265,890.57, including an alternate bid of cameras for $12,377.40. After the county added a 10% contingency to the bid amount, the total was set as $292,479.63; the amendment increases that to $299,513.17.

Following a geotechnical soils test whose results were pending when the bid was awarded, Michelli Measurement was required to place compacted engineered materials under the scale foundation. Additional excavation and gravel materials were needed for the foundation and scale house, and the scales’ location in a steep sloped area required off-site material; those items totaled $24,400. In addition, a stem wall foundation was added at a cost of $21, 600.

The second approved amendment increased a wastewater system repair contract for the veteran’s retreat, with EarthQuest Plumbing and Pumping, by $52,757.44, and extends the contract through July 28, 2023. The new contract amount will be $215,315.44; the original contract, awarded on March 7, 2023, was for $162,558.

According to County staff the retreat’s wastewater system needs to be brought up to code, with non-working pumps at three lift stations, creating a public health situation that must be addressed before other work at the site can proceed.

In another agenda item, the board voted to accept $92,000 from the Arizona Game  and Fish Department, funds that will go toward a new Sheriff’s Office patrol boat for Roosevelt Lake. In October 2022, the Sheriff’s Office requested AZGFD assistance with purchasing the 23-foot Ranger Bay boat with a police package, which will replace the current 17-year-old vessel.

County Finance Director Maryn Belling presented the board with financial data as of February 28. She reported that general fund revenues were at 77% of the annual budget, compared to an eight-month target of 67%, and year-to-date revenues for fiscal year 2023 were $5.98 million more than the same time in 2022. Belling said $6 million of this was due to money received from the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund. General fund expenditures, including $2.97 million in encumbrances, were at 64% of the budget, compared to a year-to-date target of 67%, and $6.76 million higher than at the end of February 2022.

The board voted to accept $23,093.07 in funding for the Gila County Sheriff’s Office from the Tonto Apache Tribe, under the Tribal-State Gaming Compact by which tribes contribute money from their casino revenues to the state and local governments. The board also approved a three-year intergovernmental agreement between Gila County, the Sheriff’s Office and the Tonto Apache Tribe for law enforcement assistance and mutual aid.

The board approved a $39,182.37 economic development grant to Tonto Rim Search & Rescue Squad, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose skills include rope rescue, swift water rescue and canyoneering rescue. The funds will help purchase needed equipment such as a rescue raft, batteries and a litter carrier.

The board approved renewal of an intergovernmental agreement with Pinal County for medical examiner services. With the renewal, Pinal County will continue providing those services for a year, starting July 1, 2023; its fee will remain at $375,000, for up to 190 cases during the term of the agreement.